Gary Brown: WD-40's list of sticky situations

Gary Brown

Thursday

Apr 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 24, 2008 at 12:40 AM

Use WD-40 for spraying sticky toilet paper rolls and for cleaning lime stains from toilet bowls. Those are two of 40 new uses for WD-40 that WD-40 fans have added to the official list of 2,000 uses suggested by the WD-40 Co.

Use WD-40 for spraying sticky toilet paper rolls and for cleaning lime stains from toilet bowls.

Those are two of 40 new uses for WD-40 that WD-40 fans have added to the official list of 2,000 uses suggested by the WD-40 Co.

"We are excited to make these additions to our world-famous list of 2,000 used," said Garry Ridge, CEO of WD-40 Company. "When we went back to fans and asked them to share even more ways to use the product, we knew our fanatical fan base ... would turn up to answer the call."

I didn't know WD-40 had fans, much less an official WD-40 Fan Club. I've never sprayed it on a corroded screw and stood there, shouting "Go WD-40!"

And I've never followed that up by chanting "rust-off, rust-off, rust-off ... ." Neighbors would talk.

But I long have believed there is no problem that can't be solved by using WD-40. Not even the really difficult ones.

Got a sluggish economy? Coat it with WD-40. Have a sticky labor situation? Smooth it out with WD-40. Faced with a society that is increasingly tarnished by crime? Clean it up with a little WD-40.

Official list

But even I wasn't aware of some of the uses I found when I checked the WD-40 Company's official list at www.wd40.com.

"Gives bowling balls less 'grab' on the lanes."

Isn't that cheating?

"Removes squeak from deer hunting stands."

There goes the early warning system on which deer had begun to depend.

In the event of nuclear war, please unstick weapon openings and clean warheads for delivery.

"Displaces moisture from submerged cellular phones."

Been talking in the bathtub again?

"Cleans crayon from television screen," "removes crayon from walls," and "lifts Kool-Aid stains."

Somebody's got kids.

"Removes a boa constrictor stuck in the engine compartment of car."

We may have animal control issues.

Other options

The list seems to show that WD-40 indeed can help maintain almost everything. According to the categories on that list, WD-40 "cleans and protects," "removes moisture," "frees sticky mechanisms," "loosens rusted parts," "stops squeaks" and "lubricates and dissolves."

What you can't fix with WD-40 you can always hold together with duct tape.